Meta Origins
by gothicorca1895
Summary: A mysterious visitor reveals the true origins of Star Warriors...and some surprising information about Sir Meta Knight. Alternate-reality to the Japanese anime. Rated K-plus for minor action violence, implied death, and mild language.
1. Prologue: The Attack

_A/N -- Woah, intro!_

_Hello ! I'm gothicorca1895, previously reknown for my work in the Wall-E and Coraline sections of the site. Recently I got into a new fandom: Hoshi no Kaabii. The fruit of that was a fandom with fourteen, count 'em fourteen, fanfictions in it. They're all about the most awesome and mysterious character of the series -- Meta Knight._

_I have dubbed the group of these fourteen fanfictions "Season 1.5" because rather than being a sequel to the anime series, they are an alternate-reality version of it. Meta Origins is the first "movie event" of this series. Granted, it's not my best work, but considering I've never written for Kirby before I thought it turned out okay._

_Since I don't want to clog the category, I won't upload anything else unless people actually enjoy and review this._

_So without further ado, I present to you..._

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_**Meta Origins  
**__Prologue: The Attack_

"Meta! META! Wake up!"

Meta shifted slightly in his small bed, feeling the sheets and the mattress as if they were materializing beneath him. His sleep-fogged mind was still contemplating the dream he'd had, where the fearless Meta Knight had been confronted by a horde of demon beasts in a small village, and fires were burning and people were screaming and…

"Meta! I know it's late, but you have to wake up!"

Meta squinted at the blurred outline of his mother's face. No. Something wasn't right. It was still his mother's face, but every feature was tinted red…

"META! It's beginning!"

Meta gasped, senses slamming back to their enhanced level, absorbing the details of his dream that had carried into the real world. Beyond the flimsy glass and gauzy curtains of his bedroom window, the shrieks of injured and terrified villagers grated on his nerves. And as for what he could see, the jagged silhouettes of fires cast an eerie bloodred layer over the familiar colors of his home. It was like the eruption of a volcano, but volcanoes didn't roar monstrously, didn't match the phrase his mother had used, "It's beginning…"

But as he sat up, even with every detail falling into place, Meta didn't believe it. How could this be THE night, the one he'd been born for, the one he'd been anticipating for his entire life?

"I'm awake, Mama," he said, with a confused neutrality. "What's happening?"

His mother's eyes drifted towards the closed windows. "Demon beasts!" she gasped. "Three of them. One is attacking now. Meta, the time has come."

Fear drove into him like a stake, and he gasped. "Mama!" he cried, leaping out of bed. "There's real demon beasts outside?! We have to get the starships! We have to find Chuva!! We have to -- "

"Meta, calm down!" his mother instructed, placing both hands on his shoulders. He sucked in a deep breath, squeezing some of the tension from his muscles. "You musn't worry about anything, Meta," his mother continued. "Everything is ready. We'll meet up with Chuva and get to the starships. But first, you have to get dressed."

She nodded at a heap of clothes on the floor, a few gilded metal pieces resting atop the pile. Meta examined these, perplexed. He'd been given a walk-through of this crucial night for nearly as long as he could remember, and no one had ever mentioned anything about costumes.

"It's your uniform, Meta," his mother explained, smiling a little. "For when you become a star warrior. For when you are my little Meta Knight."

He gazed down at the pile doubtfully. Until tonight, all of his preparations had seemed almost like a big joke. Like a fairy tale, or a story about superheroes. One day, he would grow up to be big and strong and defeat the evil ruler of the universe, Nightmare, and that was why he'd created his alternate persona. When he reached the Galaxy Soldier Army, as he'd bragged about to Chuva a million times, he would progress so quickly that he would be knighted, and become Meta Knight. Meta Knight was strong and fearless. Meta Knight was bold and brave. Meta Knight would face his destiny without batting an eye.

He didn't feel a thing like Meta Knight. He felt like Meta, the kid who had been thrown into this night of turmoil, all because the universe had chosen him to be a future Star Warrior.

His mother helped him worm into the garments. This was nothing like the costume he wore when he was training with Chuva. That was just a ragged old blanket for a cape and a broken ceramic bowl as a helmet. These clothes were built for fighting. The cape was sewn from a reinforced fabric, the neck guard stiff and upright, the heavy metal shoulder pads not revealing an inch of skin. And there was a sword, the sharp silver blade nothing like the wooden replica toys he was used to. Everything was tailored for an individual twice his size.

"I know they're big, but when you come out of hibernation, you'll be an adult," said his mother. "By that time, they'll fit perfectly."

"Mama, we have to go get Chuva right now!" Meta insisted, trying to disentangle his feet from the cape, which was spread around him like a puddle of water. Chuva was definitely awake by now; he could feel her presence nipping him like a mosquito, her awareness laid over his like a ghostly second sight. If she reached the launch site and no one was there, what would she think had happened to him?

Rather than telling him to be patient as she usually did, his mother looked around, her eyes catching the burning light, and said, "Yes, we do. We'll leave, Meta. But first…" She handed him something round and flat, bent slightly concave.

"What's this?" asked Meta, turning the item around in his hands. There was a black shape in the middle, like an obtuse letter V. Two eyelike yellow ovals pulsed dully inside it. "A mask?"

"The final touch," agreed his mother, nodding.

A force struck the side of the house, making it rattle down to the foundations. Every candle was extinguished, plunging the little cottage into darkness as black as smoke.

"Mama!" gasped Meta.

"I'm here!" his mother answered, and he felt her hand grip his. "We have to get out of here. Quickly!"

A flash of fire from outside illuminated the room like a bolt of lightning, revealing for a split second the urgency in his mother's face. The next second she was striding through the darkened rooms purposefully. He clung to her for dear life with one hand; the other dragged the heavy metal mask behind him.

When they reached the door, Meta discovered to his horror that it had been rocked from its bearings and was splintered on the ground. Outside, the world was a mass of black sky with red splashes serving as his village. Everything was obscured by firelight and the haze of smoke. The buildings that weren't already destroyed were in the process of burning.

"What could have done this?" he gaped.

His mother's eyes narrowed. "Demon beasts are merciless, relentless creatures. They've come to conquer this star, and they'll stop at nothing until their mission is comple – META!"

"H-huh?" Meta stammered, but before he could assemble a complete thought, a cracking sound split the air, and his mother shoved him brutally away from the door. He skidded hard against the ground, frozen in shock. When he got his head to respond and look back at his mother, he saw what had happened. The entire front of the house had collapsed, trapping his mother beneath a mass of building debris, fires crackling viciously around her.

"MAMA!" he shouted, scrambling over to her, hugging the mask to his chest as if it were a teddy bear.

His mother groaned, struggling to push herself up, but falling as a beam heaved down on her. "Meta…" she choked out, "you can't wait for me. You must go."

"N-no! Mama!" Meta protested, voice trembling as he grabbed her hand. "I can't leave you, Mama, I can't, I can't…"

"You must!" Her eyes were as flaming as the wreckage around her, but with determination and love, rather than hatred and destruction. "You know your way to the launch site. Chuva's parents will help you when you get there." She leaned forward as much as her confines permitted and gently kissed his forehead. "I love you, my little Meta Knight."

"I love you too, Mama," sobbed Meta, tears freely streaming down his cheeks. "I…I w-won't forget you." He struggled to force down the anguish that came from knowing she'd be killed by the demon beasts the second he left. Crying was very un-warriorlike. He had to be Meta Knight now.

"You had better not forget me," she managed with a weak smile. "Now go on, Meta. And put on that mask. You need to protect that handsome little face of yours."

Reducing his tears down to sniffles, Meta pressed the gilded mask over his face. Like the rest of his ensemble, it was entirely too big. Nevertheless, it seemed to be made for him; his vision immediately locked on with the yellow eyes in the mask. Reluctantly releasing his mother's hand, he straightened up.

A demon beast was towering over the remnants of his home. It was a fire-spitter, utterly indescribable. Through the waves of fear jolting through him, he managed to stamp the beast's monstrous appearance into his memory. If ever the opportunity came to avenge his mother's death, he would need to remember that face too.

Heading to the launch site, he was caught in a whirlwind of chaos. Injured civilians moaned from the smoking skeletons of buildings. Luckier villagers, huddling with their families, obediently stepped aside when they saw him bounding their way. After all, they had to allow their savior passage.

The mask was half dangling off of his face, but it was nearly impossible to straighten while he was running. He was on the far side of town, in a route created for him by a maze of ruins, but there were two or three ways to reach the launch site. And he knew this village; he had grown up in it, carefully memorizing its layout over years of training. It was impossible for him to be lost here.

When he finally reached his destination through some roundabout path, he cried out in dread and disappointment. The launch site was squeezed in the gap between two buildings, sheltered by a couple of now-smoldering trees. The twin starships waited for their passengers. But besides him, the place was vacant. No one else was there.

"Chuva, where are you?!" he called aloud, feeling her absence so strongly that it was as if he was missing half of himself. The only time they had ever been separated longer than this was when they went home to sleep, and at least then they were unconscious, oblivious to their solitude. He had never pictured this night without her right beside him, as ready to become a Star Warrior as he was, for better or for worse. What if something had happened to her? What if the demon beast had gotten her too, or if one of the other ones had? On his way here, he'd counted three misshapen blots on the horizon. With three of those huge things, the chances of her being snagged had to be pretty good. And he couldn't operate the starship console by himself! What if –

"Meta-sama!"

He jumped and spun around. Coming from an entrance behind him were two familiar adult figures and one even more familiar child.

"Meta-sama," Chuva's father began, "where's your mother?"

"Hiro…" said Chuva's mother gently. "Perhaps it's best not to ask."

"Hey, Meta-sama," grinned Chuva, running towards him as fast as her regalia allowed. She was dressed almost identically to him, her clothes sagging with identical largeness around her. The headdress placed over her hair was so wide that it kept toppling over her eyes as she came to greet him.

"Chuva!" cried Meta in relief, squeezing her hands tightly. Chuva was the only one who could comfort him no matter what. Even when his father had died, even when his mother hadn't been able to help him, Chuva had been the warmth he felt in a cold world. "Chuva, I'm so glad you're here. I – I don't want to do this without you."

"You never have to do anything without me ever again, Meta," she whispered excitedly. "Just think – we're gonna be Star Warriors!"

"Yeah…" He shivered beneath his oversized cape. "Chuva," he confessed, "even though this is the night we've been waiting for, I'm – I'm really scared, Chuva!"

But looking deeper into her yellow eyes, he could tell that the thin layer of bravado was mostly false. The same emotions he felt were thriving within her.

"So am I, Meta," she admitted. But after a beat, she grinned nervously. "Hey, I thought you were supposed to be the fearless Meta Knight!"

He managed to pull a shaky smile. Leave it to Chuva to keep teasing him till the end.

"I'm sorry to break you up, but you two need to get into your capsules," interrupted Chuva's mother. "Things are quickly getting worse, so you'd best be on your way."

Meta and Chuva obediently clambered into their open starships. Meta settled into the recliner, trying to get used to the feel of the seat. He'd be sleeping there for a hundred years, after all. The Warp Star would steer, guiding him towards the rest of the Star Children, and then they could form the foretold Galactic Soldier Army.

In the seat of the other ship, Chuva waved to him cheerlessly.

Chuva's parents were busily pounding buttons at the control panels for the starships. The glass tops began to hiss closed. Meta leaned back, waiting for the hibernation sequence to overtake him. He could hear the final checks being shouted out as the glass sealed shut. "Flight sequence? Check. Hibernation sequence? Check. Warp Stars…"

By the time they reached Warp Stars, he'd been shut off from the sound of the world. But he only needed his masked eyes to know that something had gone wrong. Chuva's parents were exchanging urgent glances, rushing around to check his ship, then Chuva's. He pressed the side of his head to the glass, trying to fathom what was going on.

"The Warp Star! It's missing!"

"It's too late! The flight sequence is already set!"

"No! Stop it!"

"I can't!"

"NO! Chuva…!"

"Chuva!" he gasped. This couldn't be happening. After so much preparation, they couldn't be separated by something as trivial as a missing Warp Star. He tried to press his hands against the glass, but the grip of the hibernation sequence was coming over him, and his arms refused to obey.

"Chuva! CHUVA!" he frantically repeated, fighting the threatening unconsciousness. The starship was rumbling beneath him, but he couldn't lose her! They weren't meant to be separated! What would happen to her ship if she had no Warp Star?!

"Chuva," he tried to call again, but he only he had the energy left for a weak groan. "Chuva…no…you can't leave me…" His eyes were fluttering closed behind the mask as he slumped down in his seat. "Chuva…" he murmured one last time, as hibernation overcame him. "Chuva…"


	2. A Visitor of the Stars

_A/N -- Well, now that I have ONE WHOLE REVIEW for the prologue, I'm gonna put up the first chapter. No, I'm not complaining about the lack of reviews. It's only the first day, after all. If you haven't noticed, this story is actually done, and I'm only trying to get all of it up ASAP._

_MOVING ON._

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_**Meta Origins  
**__Chapter 1: A Visitor of the Stars_

There was something strange hovering in the sky over Pupuland.

Of course, thought Fumu, that was hardly a rare occurrence. Unidentified flying objects and extraterrestrial visitors were quickly becoming frequent. But the characteristic that set this thing apart from all the others of its kind was the way it moved. While most flying things streaked through the sky relentlessly, this one was gliding at an almost leisurely pace, like it was looking for something.

And, obviously, you couldn't expect to have a shiny gold blip roving through the sky without villagers noticing and making wild predictions about what it could be.

Kawasaki wondered if it might be a new species of bird – one that might make a tasty lunch special, at that. The mayor was concerned that it might endanger his sheep. Bun made the other children jittery by spreading rumors of disgusting, fearsome aliens. And Kirby, as always, was too carefree to consider any terrible alternatives; he simply bounced around, jabbing stubby arms at the shiny dot, happily squealing, "Poyo poyo!"

Eventually, Fumu decided that she would have to decipher the meaning of this unusual craft, before someone in the village did something foolish. She'd been watching and calculating all morning, and had finally estimated that it would be landing somewhere near Kabu. So it was up to her to embark on a mission, alone, to discover just what the flying thing could be.

"Hey, sis, whatcha doin'?"

The "alone" was going to be the hard part.

"Bun," she groaned, straightening her backpack, "I'm going on an expedition. No, you can't come." Leave it to him to catch her just before she was about to leave the castle.

"What kind of expedition?" persisted her brother.

"Since you can't come, what does it matter?"

"I wanna know!"

"Fine." She rolled her eyes. "I've figured out the landing point of that thing hovering above Pupu Village. I'm going to go see what it is."

"Really?" Bun began hopping from one foot to the other. "I wanna come, I wanna come!"

"I already told you, you can't!" snapped Fumu.

"Why not?" he complained.

"Because, it could be dangerous!"

Bun crossed his arms loudly. "Well, then, you shouldn't go alone. Don't you think you'd be much safer if you had me and Kirby for backup?"

"You AND Kirby?" repeated Fumu. "I don't see Kirby anywhere around here."

"Poyo poyo!"

And just like that, a little pink ball bounced out from behind Bun, circling his ankles obliviously.

Fumu gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine. If you want to come with me and get yourselves killed, that's fine by me. See if I care!" She hoisted the pack up and strode down the hallway and into the courtyard, not stopping to see if they were following or not.

Bun jogged ahead to catch up with her, dragging a confused Kirby behind him. "You don't really think we're gonna get killed, do you, sis?" he asked a bit nervously.

Without looking at him, she answered, "I don't know. That's why I didn't want you coming along."

"Hey, just lookin' after my sister," Bun said, feigning offense. "If it's an alien, you're gonna need all the backup you can get."

***

The trio marched out of the castle, skirted around the edge of the village, and finally reached the stretch of forest that led to Kabu. Fumu pushed her way through the tangle of branches and shrubs, while her brother and Kirby quickly darted through the temporarily-clear path.

"There's the canyon. We're almost there," announced Fumu.

"See anything?" Bun leaped to peer over one of her shoulders, then the other.

"No…" She frowned, disappointed. "Maybe it's behind Kabu. Or maybe I just calculated wrong."

"Or maybe it went back to Planet X!" announced Bun in a Dracula-esque voice.

Fumu rolled her eyes. Boys.

"What do you think, Kirby?" Bun continued. When he was answered by silence, he glanced at Kirby's previous location with an anxious stare. "Hey, Kirby?"

"You lost Kirby?!" demanded Fumu, equal parts concerned and afraid.

"No, I didn't lose him! He – he was right there a second ago!" cried Bun defensively. He kicked at a mound of leaves, slipping behind a couple of trees to search for their missing friend. Nothing.

"Kirby! KIRBY!" shouted Fumu frantically, straining to hear into the far-off distance.

"KIRRRR-BYYYYYYYYYY!" Bun joined in.

"Shhh!" Fumu hissed, clapping a hand over her brother's mouth sharply. "I think I heard…"

From inside of Kabu, in the secret space behind the blazing pyre, came the distant echo of a cheerful, "Poyo!"

"He's inside!" she exclaimed, shoving through the forest's edge and running up the path with Bun at her heels.

"How'd he manage to escape?!" muttered Bun, feet slapping against the worn stones leading up to Kabu.

Fumu managed to reach the entrance to the secret space first, her braid flying as she swung herself through the long gap. Her brother crawled in close behind. And though she was aware of his rhythmic breathing beside her ear, she was more focused on the lost-and-found Kirby nuzzling against something that occupied almost the entire area.

It was a starship.

"Woah, sis…" whispered Bun incredulously.

Fumu nodded. "I know."

Kirby chirped ecstatically at their arrival, snuggling agaist the familiar five-pointed shape of the capsule. She cautiously crept up to him, approaching what must have been the UFO of earlier that morning.

"Is it Kirby's ship?" called Bun, still not daring to come closer.

Fumu, on tiptoes to look through the glass bubble on top of the starship, shook her head. "Can't be."

"Why not?" Bun questioned, chancing to skirt closer to her.

"Because there's someone else inside of it."

At this, he incredulously bounded the rest of the way towards her, eager to see the alleged mystery passenger. He had to stand on tiptoe in order to peer through the glass bubble on top. What he saw was not what he, or anyone else in the village, had expected. He wasn't looking at a bird, a danger to sheep, or any kind of alien that he knew of.

It was an unconcious girl – more of a woman, actually.

She definitely didn't look like a native of Pupuland, or of Popstar, for that matter. For one thing, her skin was the wrong color – a shade of pale blue, with a blush of pink beneath her eyes. Her white-blonde hair hung down in strips on both sides of her face, a shorter, stranger style than most woman wore. But Fumu noticed her heritage details less than she noticed two aspects of the mystery woman's clothing – the hilt of a sword poking out from beneath a fold of cape, and a gilded silver headdress that formed a point in the center of her forehead.

"Poyo!" Kirby squealed when he saw her, waving his arms as ecstatically as if she were an old friend.

"Who's that?" asked Bun breathlessly.

"Some kind of warrior," replied Fumu.

"What makes you say that?"

"She has a sword. And headdresses are customary for female warriors in several cultures. We'd better be careful." She reached out a hand to touch the glass bubble, and it split in the center, both halves retracting into the sides of the starship. Kirby leaned in closer, curious as usual.

"Is she dead?" Bun whispered excitedly, reaching out a finger as if to poke the motionless woman in the side.

Before he reached his target, she opened her eyes.

He pulled back immediately, and Fumu gasped, grabbing his shoulders protectively. Even Kirby drew back, sensing the aura of power about her. Slowly, slowly, the woman sat up, blinking rapidly. Her eyes, though unfocused and only half open, were entrancing, luminous and yellow and glowing with a light from within. She was beautiful, Fumu decided, but it was an unusual, unconventional kind of beauty. When her gaze settled upon them, a tremor ran through both sister and brother.

"Meta?" she asked softly, confused, as if waking from a vivid dream.

"Excuse me?" Fumu said nervously.

The mystery woman leaned forward. "Who are you?" she demanded, authority leaking into her voice. "What is this place?"

"It's Pupuland," Fumu answered, wondering if it was the right thing to do. "We're on Popstar. And inside of Kabu, outside of the village."

The woman's blank stare confirmed that she had never heard of any such places.

"My name is Fumu," she continued apprehensively. "This is Bun, my brother, and our friend Kirby." Kirby chattered in agreement. "If you don't mind me asking, Miss, who are you?"

The woman leapt out of the starship with vigor, her purple feet planting solidly on one of the star's five points. She was wearing full body armor, they saw, and her cape was blue with a silver lining. Her hair slapped against two heavy-looking shoulder pads, and her gloved hands were balled at her sides. And even though she was standing on top of her ship, she was exceptionally small for a full-grown woman, not much taller than Fumu.

"I am called Chuva," she said. "I am one of the select Star Children – though perhaps now I am considered to be a Star Warrior."

"A Star Warrior?" Bun repeated. "Awesome! Kirby's a Star Warrior."

Chuva's eyes flickered to the bubbly pink ball, bouncing and babbling around the starship in a very un-menacing way. "I suppose I'll have to take your word for it."

"Pardon me, Chuva-san," Fumu piped up. "Since you're new here, would you mind terribly if we brought you to the castle? We should, um, present you to our ruler."

Chuva seemed to be feeling claustrophobic in the enclosed space, those luminous yellow eyes darting around restlessly. Perhaps she was searching for an excuse to leave, and a way to disguise her eagerness to depart.

"If that is the custom here," she said carefully, "then lead on."

***

"Why do you want to take her to the castle? You know Dedede won't do anything," Bun whispered to his sister as they lead Chuva away from Kabu.

"I'm hoping we'll run into Sir Meta Knight," Fumu whispered back. "If she's a Star Warrior like she says, maybe he knows her. Or knows what to do with her, anyway."

"Do you think she's like Dakonyo-san, from that island? Do you think she believes that the war's still going on?"

"I don't know. And honestly, she seems a bit defensive. Do you want to be the one that asks her about her beliefs?"

Bun didn't say anything, just snuck a wary glance over his shoulder at Chuva.

"Hey, Kirby," he muttered to the pink ball keeping pace with him, "Want to ask her?"

"Bun!" hissed Fumu, giving her younger brother's arm a yank.

"Are we almost to the castle?" Chuva interrupted. Her query was plain, not tarnished with impatience or sarcasm.

"It's not far now," Fumu assured their guest. "Look – you can see it now. Up on that hill!"

And there it was, in all its squat, moss-patched splendor: Castle Dedede. For once the drawbridge dangled open, though it was guarded by four Waddle Dees. Even at this distance, the group could spot more Waddle Dees patrolling the rooftop.

"Strange architecture," Chuva noted. "Is it common for your culture?"

Her selection of words – "your culture" – reminded Fumu of just how foreign this woman was. She wasn't only from a different country but an entirely different star. She had a hint of an accent, and though it was familiar Fumu wasn't able to place exactly where she'd heard it before – maybe it was just similar to one of the villagers'.

"Not really," Bun replied, shrugging. "King Dedede ordered it custom."

"King Dedede?" Chuva tried out the word on her tongue. "The ruler of this place?"

"More of a dictator, actually," Fumu muttered, provoking a frown from Chuva.

They reached the castle and proceeded through the door without any trouble from the Waddle Dees. Fumu and Bun had forgotten how intimidating Castle Dedede could seem, with its darkened halls and slanted, shifting shadows even in the middle of the day. But Chuva wasn't nervous so much as she was wary. If what she said was true and she was really a Star Warrior, she would have been trained to be suspicious of places like this. Maybe she was checking behind the columns for invisible enemies, searching for telltale signs of demon beasts in the dim light.

One of the most important things that Fumu had ever learned was that you couldn't go looking for Sir Meta Knight; Sir Meta Knight had to find you. And find them he did, right before they reached the courtyard.

"Fumu-sama."

All head looked up, where he was standing atop a column, staring inexpressively down at them. "So you went out to examine that aircraft," he said. "And brought both Bun and Kirby with you. That was a foolish decision, Fumu. I'm surprised at you."

"I'm sorry, _Meta Naito Kyou_," Fumu apologized. "But we're all okay. You see, we found this girl there…"

Meta Knight leapt down from his perch. His cape was folded in a typical batwing style across his chest, and he scrutinized Chuva with the flat yellow eyes of his mask. That was when Fumu noticed the way Chuva was staring back at him – her own eyes were narrowed, gleaming with…could it possibly be _recognition_?

"Poyo!" chirped Kirby unnecessarily.

"Meta Knight, she says she's a Star Warrior," Fumu continued, confused. "Do you know her? Her name is…"

"Chuva?" said Meta Knight softly.

Bun and Fumu exchanged incredulous glances, preparing to ask, 'So you do know her? How?'

But before they had a chance to, Fumu realized where she'd heard Chuva's accent before. It was identical to Meta Knight's. And so were her clothes – the same cape, the same neck guard, the same shoulder pads…she just had a headdress where Meta Knight was masked.

Just who was this woman?

When Chuva spoke up, it was in the same quiet, surprised way. And like Meta Knight, she said a name. At least, Fumu guessed it was a name, though she'd never heard it before.

"Meta?" Chuva asked.


	3. Waking Up Late

_A/N -- Slowly but surely, I'm beginning to acquire readers. Good. I know it's only, like, three people, but thankfully the overrated-ness of my story topic isn't repelling everybody. I must apologize for that, by the way -- I was almost brand-new to this fandom when the idea beamed down on me, and I had to go through with it. Hopefully I'm providing something a bit more original, something that you haven't entirely seen before._

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_**Meta Origins  
**Chapter 2: Waking Up Late_

To Meta Knight, Chuva hadn't changed a bit.

She had filled out, matured, and grown into the uniform that had been oversized the last time he'd seen her, but it was still Chuva without a doubt. She was still small, not much taller than he was. And her face, her luminous yellow eyes…they were sending pangs of recognition through him.

For once, he was at a complete loss for words. All he could manage was, "It's you."

"Of course it's me," Chuva responded. "Who were you expecting?"

Meta Knight was all at once enfolded by waves of nostalgia. He hadn't seen her in so long, yet here she was teasing him as if she'd never left. Part of him wanted to run up and hug her very badly, like he had when they were just children, but he held himself back. Even with her standing over there, they weren't separated. He could feel the familiar presence of her awareness in his mind, occupying what had only been empty since he'd woken up at the Galactic Soldier Army base.

It had been three hundred years…

"What's going on here, Meta?" Chuva asked softly.

He cleared his throat. "Actually, it's Meta _Knight_ now, Chuva."

Her face blanked when he said that, like he'd change more than deserved to be acknowledged. But then a smile curled across her lips. "Oh, I see. Little Meta grew up."

"_Little Meta_…?!" Fumu and Bun echoed incredulously. Just how old WAS this woman?

Meta Knight cleared his throat loudly again, and Chuva gave an almost imperceptible dip of her head.

"Why don't you children go…play outside or something?" she suggested lamely.

"Hey, we're not wanted. I get it," grumbled Bun.

"Let's go," Fumu chided him. "You too, Kirby."

"Poyo!" squealed Kirby, and then they were gone.

Chuva swished up to Meta Knight and took both of his hands in her own. He didn't resist. "I knew you had to be here," she whispered. "I almost didn't recognize you, but I remembered that mask, and…I could just feel you, you know?"

"I know, Chuva," he answered. "I can feel you as well."

"What happened, Meta? What's going on here?"

She couldn't see it behind his mask, but his eyes had dropped to the floor. "You…you woke up late, Chuva."

"I figured that, Meta. The question is – how late did I wake up?"

He swallowed. "You were asleep for three hundred years, Chuva. The Galactic Soldier Army…and the Star Warriors…rose and fell. We lost the battle with Nightmare, Chuva. He's still reigning."

Chuva closed her eyes.

"How many of us are left?"

"None. There's only me."

"How many demon beasts?"

"More every day."

She opened her eyes again.

"How can you stand to look at me, Meta?" she whispered painfully. "I abandoned you."

"No. No, Chuva, you didn't," said Meta Knight, alarmed. "Something went wrong that night, Chuva. The Warp Star in your starship went missing. You couldn't follow the rest of us, and…" He was unable to finish the sentence.

"So how did you end up here?"

"A Star Warrior's ship will always head towards a star where there are demon beasts. King Dedede, the dictator of this place, has a direct link to the Holy Nightmare Corporation. He orders the demon beasts for all sorts of trivial purposes…especially to attack Kirby."

Chuva bristled. "Tyrant!" she spat, then softened. "Kirby…the pink one? They said he was a Star Warrior, Meta."

"He is. Kirby is the beginning of our next generation, Chuva. He's shown promise so far. I've been sort of…indirectly training him."

"Really."

"He's defeated many of the demon beasts that His Majesty orders. Which reminds me. Chuva, if you will, you may be able to take up work here. The pay is hardly existent, but you'll rarely need it. You can help me keep an eye on things."

"Of course I will, Meta." Chuva squeezed the hands still in her grasp. "I think I need to make up for leaving you alone in the Galactic Soldier Army. I'll help you watch over this dictator – "

"King Dedede."

"Yes, King Dedede. I suppose you make sure that he doesn't cause too much trouble with these demon beasts you've been telling me about. And I'll also assist you in your…indirect training of Kirby."

"Thank you, Chuva." With some reluctance, he stepped away from her. "Come this way. I'm afraid that if you want a job here, we'll have to go talk to _His Majesty_."

***

"Escargon! Have you figured out what that gold thing was yet?"

"No, Your Majesty." Escargon thumbed the monitor button on the arm of King Dedede's throne repeatedly. The central screen in the throne room flickered to different camera views of the castle and grounds, revealing empty shots with the occasional Waddle Dee in the background. "It doesn't seem to have landed anywhere near us, anyway, so what are you so concerned about?"

King Dedede grinned wickedly. "I won't be concerned if it causes some trouble for the villagers. I'd welcome it with open arms, then."

"Now, I wouldn't go that far," Escargon said nervously. "I wouldn't let it anywhere near here. What if it comes after us next?"

The king waved his hand dismissively. "Then I'll just download a demon beast to take care of it. Don't you understand? That's the solution to all of our problems. That's why I had the downloader installed in the first place!" He cackled.

Somebody rapped on the double doors leading out to the corridor.

"Come in!" called Escargon.

The door slipped open a small fraction, and Meta Knight stepped about a foot into the ominous room. He bowed humbly. "Good afternoon, Your Majesty."

"Oh, it's you, Meta Knight," said King Dedede dismissively. "What do you want?"

"Your Majesty, I have brought a visitor with me. She wishes to inquire about a possible position as a castle guard."

"Oh, she does, does she? Well, tell her to get in here, then."

Chuva squeezed past Meta Knight and proceeded closer to the throne. She had folded her own cape in a distinct parody of his, and bowed down low before the bulk of King Dedede, barely showing her face.

King Dedede smiled menacingly. "Well, look at that! Got yourself a girlfriend, did you? Bravo."

Both of them had the good sense not to answer.

The king now addressed Chuva directly. "What's your name, little girl?"

"My name is Chuva, Your Majesty."

"And you'd like a job working alongside your boyfriend here, would you?"

"If you would be so generous and gracious to grant me such a privilege, Your Majesty."

"I like this one!" King Dedede roared. "She knows her flattery. Okay, the job is yours, little girl. Just a second." He fumbled behind his throne for a clunky scepter, an accessory he normally didn't use. The scepter swung down and tapped Chuva on the shoulder.

"I now pronounce you Lady Chuva Knight of Castle Dedede," he announced grandly, still grinning. "Now you're on the same level as your boyfriend, girlie. You're lucky I like you. Alright, dismissed."

Chuva stood, gave one final bow for good measure, then followed Meta Knight back out into the corridor. Once there, she gagged theatrically.

"That was horrible!" she announced. "Fat blue lump of lard. What a vile excuse for a king."

Meta Knight actually chuckled. His initial shock of seeing her again was giving way to the inevitable sense of happiness. Real happiness – something he hadn't felt in three hundred years. "You performed beautifully back there, Chuva."

"Well, thank you. It wasn't easy, what with your disgusted thoughts burning a hole in my mind three feet away."

Behind the mask, Meta Knight smiled. "I missed you, Chuva."

"I missed you too, Meta, even though I didn't even realize I was gone for so long. Still, you were the first thing that came to mind when I woke up."

"I'm gratified." Meta Knight's cape swished as he turned away from the closed throne room door. "Would you like your own room, or a space in the humble servant's quarters?"

"Whichever's more convenient," she answered noncommittally.

He began to walk down the left wing, the echoes of his footsteps reaching out like peals of distant thunder.

"Meta? Where are you going?"

"There's someone else you have to meet, Chuva. Two someones, actually."

"Not some more of the king's familiars, I hope."

"Not his familiars. Mine."

"You have your own familiars now?"

"Only two. Since you're here, Chuva, I should introduce you to Sword and Blade."

***

Chuva was unable to shake the feeling that she didn't really know Meta anymore. He had always been a dreamy, ambitious child, at least when she'd known him. Now it seemed that he had done everything he'd always said he would, yet he acted so neutral and mysterious. Not that his emotions were hidden from her; that special half of her brain reserved for him bubbled with concealed ecstasy and excitement. In addition, he was feeding her a stream of congealed memories from the Galactic Soldier Army, informing her without so much as a spoken word. It had its advantages, having a double.

But even though she could see inside of him, she wanted to see outside as well. Her constant loud mental suggestions to remove his mask seemed to go unheard. _Bakka_. What did he think, that he could hide from her?

She'd get him eventually. She always did.

***

Sword and Blade met in their room, the square space adjoining Sir Meta Knight's. It was a typical status meeting, taken in-between patrols. They waited for Sir Meta Knight to arrive, then began wondering if he would.

"He hasn't talked to us today," Sword mused. "Only gone off by himself."

"He gets like this every so often," Blade pointed out. "And usually on the same dates every year…I've never dared to ask why."

"It isn't our business," Sword replied. "We're here to follow him, nothing more. His personal life is none of our concern."

There were a few solid minutes of silence after that.

"How long should we wait," asked Blade, "before we go back out?"

"We'd might as well go now," Sword said. "I don't think he's coming."

"I am coming. You just need to have a little patience."

Both knights jumped at the voice from behind them. The door wasn't closed – it never was, during the day – and it seemed that Meta Knight had snuck in without their noticing.

"_Kyou_," Sword and Blade saluted quickly, dipping their heads in a brief bow.

Their master's mood seemed to have lifted considerably – he no longer radiated sullen disparity, as he had that morning. "Sword, Blade," he announced. "There is someone who I'd like you to meet."

Something blotted out the subdued light from the hall. At first it was only a dark mass, a silhouette, but gradually the features came into focus. Sword and Blade could see a face, shoulder pads, the swirl of a cape. And eyes. Eyes like two glowing yellow stars.

"Sword…" whispered Blade.

"Could it be…?" Sword murmured.

A hazy memory took form from the distant depths of their minds, something that had already become a story from old times…

_Sword and Blade, much younger and more foolish, were grateful to be accepted by Meta Knight. After their new lord had saved them – two murderous thieves – from the demon beast Chilidog, they had resolved to adopt the noble policies of the Star Warriors and help to fight for freedom._

_At the time that Sir Meta Knight first brought them to the Galactic Soldier Army camp, there were few pairs of doubles unseperated by death. However, there were some still remaining. Sword and Blade noticed one of these couples at the camp, giving each other subdued smiles despite their dismal surroundings, whispering, coming close to each other._

"_Are those two soldiers lovers?" Sword had asked._

_Meta Knight didn't even spare the duo in question a glance. "No, they're doubles."_

"_Please, sir, what are doubles?" said Blade._

"_The original Star Warriors came in pairs," Meta Knight replied. "Very close pairs. More than siblings, friends, and lovers combined…sharing all their abilities, with an intimate mental connection. Doubles."_

"_I see," Blade said._

_Sword hesitated, then asked, "Sir…do you have a double?"_

_Meta Knight turned away. "I did, once."_

"_Did they…die?" blade whispered._

"_No, she vanished under mysterious circumstances," answered Meta Knight, and refused to say any more on the subject…_

But now, in their tiny shared room in Castle Dedede, the woman who stood before them could be no other than that double of Sir Meta Knight's who "vanished under mysterious circumstances." It wasn't just her uniform that allowed them to ascertain this. The way she held herself, the look in her eyes, everything about her…she was just too much like their master not to be…

"Sword, Blade. This is my double, Lady Chuva Knight."

Sword and Blade immediately dropped to their knees and obediently bowed before her.

Chuva took a startled step back from them and glanced at Meta Knight; his shoulders bobbed as if he was laughing silently. "Do they do that often?" she muttered, her voice toned only for his ears.

"I believe they're pledging their eternal loyalty to you," he told her.

"Lady Chuva Knight," gasped Sword. "As the double of our lord, we are bound to serve you for as long as you live."

"We shall serve you, fight alongside you, and sacrifice ourselves for you if necessary," Blade agreed.

Chuva winced. "All right, then. I don't think I'll be going by my full title as exclusively as you do, Meta."

"It doesn't seem to matter that I go by my title. You still call me by my given name," Meta Knight retorted.

"Old habits die hard. Now, if you'll excuse me, Meta, there's something I would like to do."

"Pray tell, what?"

"It's not like you'll have to accompany me." She swished around towards the door. "Remember those three kids we kicked out?"

"Fumu, Bun, and Kirby."

"Yes, them. Well…" She hesitated, then strode purposefully out of Sword and Blade's room.

"Chuva!" Meta Knight called. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Nowhere important, Meta. I'd just like to explain things to them."


	4. Star Children

_A/N -- A chapter a day, that's how I'm taking this. No other comments here._

_By the by, thank you ~Metaknightmare for your continued support and interest in this story._

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_**Meta Origins  
**__Chapter 3: Star Children_

They were by a bluff at the outskirts of the village. Kirby was harmlessly pursuing a yellow butterfly while Fumu and Bun discussed this mystery visitor, Chuva.

"She has to be a Star Warrior," declared Bun for the twelfth time.

"She can't be," Fumu argued once again.

"But sis, she knew Meta Knight," Bun protested. "And he was surprised to see her, like he thought she was dead or something. So she has to be somebody who was in the Galactic Soldier Army with him."

"But that doesn't explain why she was asleep in a Starship," Fumu pointed out. "And she called him _little Meta_. That would mean that she has to have known him before he was knighted – before he was even a Star Warrior."

"We're both off." Bun sighed. "I wonder who she really is."

"How can we find out?" his sister asked aloud, as if speaking to the atmosphere.

"Why don't you ask?"

They all jumped – except for Kirby, who still nonchalantly chased his butterfly. When brother and sister turned around, there stood Chuva at the edge of the bluff, cape folded in a mockery of Meta Knight and a smirk hovering at the edge of her lips.

"Well," said Fumu carefully, "Sir Meta Knight usually doesn't tell us anything about his past."

"I'm not Sir Meta Knight." She jumped down from the cliff, releasing her cape. It billowed out behind her like a parasail as she touched down lightly to the ground.

"So you're going to tell us how you know Sir Meta Knight and who you are and how you got here?" asked Bun excitedly, hopping from one foot to the other.

"What exactly do you want to know?" she responded, settling down into a sitting position on the grass.

"Well, start from the beginning," suggested Fumu. "When did you meet Sir Meta Knight?"

A thoughtful look flickered across Chuva's face for a moment.

"Do you know what is meant by the term 'Star Children?'" she asked them.

"Nope," Bun answered.

"Poyo!" cried Kirby as the butterfly finally escaped, flitting off out of his reach.

"Meta didn't even tell you that? Alright then, I guess it's all up to me. A long, long time ago – "

"Hey, Kirby, come over here and listen to Chuva's story!" called Fumu.

Chuva cleared her throat, then continued.

"A long, long time ago – we're talking hundreds of years – it seemed that Nightmare had succeeded in his conquest of the universe. Every star was cowering under his power, and those that resisted were greeted by another wave of demon beasts. But then something happened. It seemed the stars got a chance against him. And that chance was the Star Children…"

***

On a tiny star, tucked away in a remote corner of the universe, in a distant country, in the small speck that was known as Ulu Village, there was a whispered rumor spreading like a puddle of spilled water: two children had been born at the exact same time.

Over half of the medics had confirmed it, and the village gossips were picking up and tossing along several different versions of the births. But there was one thing that was said more than anything else – "The prophecy. This fulfills the prophecy."

The prophecy had been relayed to the mayor in a dream. What that dream had been about he was never able to say, but he awakened with the knowledge that one day, two children would born on the star at the exact same time. Two children born to different parents, yet intimately connected to each other. Two children who would display remarkable abilities from birth. Two children who would be part of many similar children in the universe – the Star Children. And someday, these Star Children would become Star Warriors, form an alliance known as the Galactic Soldier Army, and defeat Nightmare.

The beliefs of the prophecy ranged from outright disbelief to holding it to an almost religious level, but there was no denying that this was remarkably accurate. It was either an enormous coincidence…or it meant something more.

A group had popped up in the village square to discuss these happenings.

"It can't be true," declared Nana, the seamstress. "One of these alleged Star Children is the mayor's own son."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything," a young midwife piped up. "I saw the boy. He's…unusual."

"Unusual how?" someone asked.

"He didn't cry," said the midwife. "And he was born with his eyes wide open – big yellow eyes. He's a newborn. But I could swear he was tracking me with those eyes."

"Rubbish," scoffed Nana.

"There's a girl, too, isn't there?" somebody shouted. "Who are her parents?"

"I didn't see her, but I believe she was born to Hiro and Saki, the craftsman and his wife," the midwife responded.

"I _did_ see her," the senior nurse spoke up. "She had big yellow eyes, too. Glowing yellow eyes. She seemed intelligent. But she was very small…"

"What's all the commotion?"

With an unsettled ripple of surprise, the crowd parted to allow room for the mayor of Ulu Village to step in.

"Would someone please explain to me why you're all gathered here like this?" he demanded.

"Sir…" came a voice in the crowd. "We were discussing the fact that two children may have been born at the same time. Is it true?"

"Most definitely!" declared the mayor. "My wife is coming, and so are Hiro and Saki. We'll show you those babies – those Star Children."

"You call them Star Children like you're sure of that fact," Nana called.

"But they must be!" exclaimed the mayor. "There's no other explanation."

"But sir," Nana continued. "One is your own son. How do we know this isn't a hoax?"

"It's no hoax," said someone quietly, and the mob hushed respectfully as the mayor's wife, Gamma, drifted towards her husband. At the same time, on the opposite side of the crowd, Hiro and Saki were making their way to the center. Gamma clutched a small bundle clad in a blue blanket to her chest, as did Saki (though in her case, the cloth was a pinkish color).

Smirking, Nana elbowed her way forward and approached Gamma, who sheepishly tilted her parcel out a couple of inches. – enough for the other woman to see what was in it.

"Why, that's meant to be a Star Child?" Nana cried, laughing. "It barely even has arms!"

Gamma squeezed the bundle tightly, protectively. "He," she corrected angrily. "It's a boy. And his name is Meta."

It was true that the boy in question, Meta, was tiny. But he was also perfectly spherical, with stubby arms and only a thumb to each hand. His skin was dark blue in color – not unusual, as most of the residents were a shade of blue – and provided a nice contrast to his purple feet. But the eyes…they were as yellow as the young midwife had said, bright and intelligent, tracking his mother's movements without difficulty. Beneath the eyes was a tiny mouth and a stripe of pink blush on each cheek.

"Let's see the girl, then," laughed Nana. "Is she a little blob, too?"

"No, Nana-sama, she's not," replied Saki, narrowing her eyes. Saki was more authoritative than the mayor's wife. To prove her point, she partly unwrapped the blanket around her newborn daughter, then showed Gamma the baby's face.

This girl was of a more standard build. Regular torso, tiny grasping hands, a few strands of pale blonde hair drifting around the scalp. Her skin was a lighter shade of blue than Meta's, but her feet were the same violet, her cheeks the same rosy pink, her eyes the same yellow…even if they had lashes.

"Her name is Chuva," announced Saki.

Chuva cocked her head, as if in response to the sound of her name.

"Hmmm." Nana pursed her lips, unable to find anything deformed or unusual about the alleged female Star Child.

"If they are the Star Children, then they should react to each other," declared the mayor. "Darling, bring him forward. You too, Saki. Come meet in the middle – there! Well, what do they think of each other?"

At first, it was difficult to tell if the babies were even acknowledging over. But then – and with an entire village as witness – their glowing eyes locked into each other's. They stared then, more intensely than a baby should, but with no other clues to show for until…

"May-_tahhh_?" said the little girl Chuva, irises glittering, a little toothless smile spreading across her face.

A stupefied pause, broken when the little boy Meta cooed, "Choo-_vahhh_!"

The crowd gasped as one as fragmented whispers of amazement and disbelief trailed within the hush of the night. Finally, the mayor stepped into the center of the village square, raising his hands above his head to quiet the din.

"These are the foretold Star Children, those who will save us from Nightmare," he announced grandly, then lowered his arms. "Does anyone have a problem with that?"

***

"Wow," gasped Fumu when Chuva had completed her tale. "You've known each other since you were _born!_"

"Meta and I have always been very close," Chuva responded. "I hope that we may still be."

"Will you tell us more? Will you tell us more?!" Bun begged.

"Poyo!" Kirby added.

Chuva looked towards the sky, where the sun dipped low and cast out the orange glow of early evening. "Perhaps tomorrow," she said. "It's getting late, and I should go back to the castle. New guard job, you know. They made me a lady knight."

Fumu nodded, not really listening. As Chuva walked off in the direction of the sunset, she thought back on the story of the birth, and on Chuva's description of newborn Meta Knight. The more she thought, the more it seemed absolutely certain…

He had looked just like Kirby.


	5. Midnight Rendesvous

_A/N -- Huh. Weird. This story was MUCH more popular on dA..._

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_**Meta Origins**_  
_Chapter 4: Midnight Rendezvous_

Chuva wound up with her own small bedroom in Castle Dedede. But that night, she couldn't sleep.

She tossed and turned, flipping and flopping around in her cramped bed, but no matter what position she was in her eyes refused to close. She tossed the blanket to the floor, then the pillow. Her cape rustled with each new pose she tried. But it was no use. She was restless, and she knew why.

Somewhere in this castle, Meta was still awake. And she would find him.

***

Meta Knight tugged on the door to Chuva's small single room, and it opened about an inch without making a sound. He peered into the crack with one masked eye. There she was, her sheets bunched around her still form. She was hard to make out, there in the dark, but –

"And just who do you think you're sneaking up on?" asked a female voice behind him.

Meta Knight swirled around. There stood Chuva, her cape folded across her chest in a deliberate parody of his own style, her lips forming a typical Chuva-like smirk.

"You aren't asleep," he stated obviously.

"I was asleep for three hundred years," she retorted. "I think I can stand a little awake time."

"In that case, would you care to accompany me on midnight patrols? Sword and Blade have already gone in. It will be just us."

Chuva translated this as, "We can talk in private a little bit more," and nodded. The two doubles proceeded down the empty hall, ignoring the occasional solitary Waddle Dee, and headed for the tower stairs.

"I sometimes come up here to think," Meta Knight said as they ascended. "But it only works when I am alone."

"Then why are you bringing me up?" asked Chuva.

A pause. Then he decided to answer. "So we can be together again."

"We already are."

The stairs subsided, ending at a terrace. Meta Knight walked immediately to the edge. Chuva, however, remained in the archway, peals of wind lifting her cape and hair.

"What's the real reason why you brought me here, Meta?" she murmured.

"You should come over here," Meta Knight told her. "The view is lovely."

Chuva obliged, taking a few quick steps over, gazing down at the landscape spread below them. Nestled in between mountains and valleys, she could see the flickering candlelight of windows in the village. Pupu Village – the name came to her suddenly, from a consciousness that was not her own. That was what it was called, Meta was telling her. Pupu Village.

"You must forgive me while I readjust," he said finally. "I've been alone for so long, Chuva."

"That's not what your memories say," Chuva answered. "You've had plenty of Star Warrior friends, Meta. And even here – "

"That's not what I meant. What I intended to say was, it's been a long, long time since I could trust someone – intimately trust someone, the way I trust you, Chuva. And I have forgotten…forgotten how to open up to people. Even you."

"I know how you can," whispered Chuva.

Meta Knight turned away from her. "I can't."

"Meta…"

"I can't do it, Chuva. Not like that."

"What are you so afraid of?"

"What am I so afraid of? You don't understand, Chuva. I – "

And then, in one swift move, she turned him around and clapped her gloved hands to his face. And then…

And then she pulled off his mask.

Meta Knight gasped as cool tendrils of night brushed against his exposed face. His first reaction was to use his cape to cover himself, but Chuva – linked to all his thoughts and plans – was ahead of him. She dropped the mask, snatched his hands, squeezed them in her iron grip.

"Meta," she said harshly. "There's no one here but me. And I've seen your face before."

He took a deep breath, getting himself under control.

"You're right, of course."

She released his hands, and he turned back towards the spread of Pupuland. The wind curled around his dark blue skin as he scrutinized the view with his yellow eyes, his natural yellow eyes, the yellow eyes he'd been born with.

"It's been so long since I've taken it off, Chuva…" he whispered absently.

"But why, Meta?" she asked softly. "Who are you hiding from?"

"Myself, Chuva," answered Meta Knight. "I'm hiding from myself."

She was silent, gazing off into the star-spattered sky, undoubtedly tapping into his mind to try and decipher his words…

"Your arrival has caused ripples," he said. "Ripples that will take a while to settle down."

"What kind of ripples?"

"I can't tell yet. But Chuva, listen to me. In this castle, you will be under constant surveillance by King Dedede. And if he finds anything about you unusual – anything at all – then we could all be in deep trouble."

"Why? What do you think he'd do?"

"The king has a way of dealing with things…that endangers everything else as well."

She read between the lines. "A demon beast. He'll order a demon beast, won't he."

"And that's the last thing in the world we want. Be careful. Please, Chuva."

From somewhere within earshot – perhaps in the village, perhaps somewhere in the castle – a clock sent out its hourly set of resonating bongs. Twelve in total, punctuating the misty silence of the very early morning.

Chuva stepped lightly over to where she had dropped Meta Knight's mask, picked it up, and wordlessly handed it back to him.

He took a moment to situate it back on his face before turning around and extending a hand to her. "Perhaps we should get some rest now."

"I couldn't sleep in that room."

"You could stay in mine…" He could hardly believe what he'd said the second it emerged from his mouth. "That is…if you wanted to," he added lamely. "I'm sure I could have another bed brought in tomorrow, but for now…" He wondered if he was suggesting (or, rather, NOT suggesting) would disturb her.

Fortunately, it was Chuva, and he suspected that if it had been anyone less close to him, the awkwardness levels would have been quite high indeed.

"It wouldn't be the first time we've slept in the same bed," she said carefully.

Meta Knight nodded. He felt more secure with his face masked again. Those brief minutes of exposure had left him very disoriented.

They had barely made it ten steps down the stairs when he froze. Chuva came to an equally abrupt halt beside him.

"Did you hear something…?" he muttered.

She closed her eyes, listening intently for a moment, then shook her head.

Swallowing, Meta Knight began the descent again and motioned for her to follow him. He couldn't believe he was being so paranoid. What was there to be apprehensive of? No demon beasts yet, and the rest of the castle was soundly tucked away in bed.

Despite the earlier conversation, when the duo reached Sir Meta Knight's room, they curled up together without a hint of discomfort, and eventually they went to sleep.

***

Fumu heaved a soft sigh of relief. They were gone, and they hadn't seen her, pressed into the heavy shadows on the top stair. And before that…her view hadn't been very good, but her brief glimpses had confirmed her wildest predictions.

Sir Meta Knight really did look like Kirby.

The question remained, what did it mean?


	6. The Life and Times of a Star Child

_A/N -- This is the last author's note. I'm not doing this for reviews or even views anymore. I just want to finish posting it here._

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_**Meta Origins**_  
_Chapter 5: The Life and Times of a Star Child_

The following morning, with the sun beating brightly down on the castle courtyard, Bun and Kirby were playing soccer (with an exceptionally small ball) when Fumu rushed out to tell them her news.

As Bun drew back, preparing to kick the ball directly into the goal, he heard his sister yelling, "BUN! KIRBY!" from somewhere and was so startled that he accidentally stepped on the ball and was flung backwards.

"Ow," he muttered, then dragged himself up to irritably face his sister. "What's the big idea, sis?"

"Poyo!" Kirby squealed, waving at her enthusiastically.

"You'll never believe this," gasped Fumu breathlessly. "Last night I saw Meta Knight – without his mask!"

"What, you had a dream because of that story Chuva told us?" he quipped.

"No!" she snapped. "Last night, I woke up when I heard footsteps in the hall. I was curious, so I followed them. It wound up being Meta Knight and Chuva, on one of the terraces. And the mask – the mask was OFF!"

"No way!" cried Bun. "What does he look like, sis?!"

"Like blue Kirby with yellow eyes," she murmured.

"Wow," he said. "That's so – "

"So someone WAS spying on us!" shouted a female voice from above.

Fumu and Bun's heads snapped up towards the sound (Kirby had now attached himself to the top of the soccer ball and was sucking on it). Crouched catlike on the top of a pillar was Chuva. But there was something different about her. It took Fumu a second to realize it, but her eyes – her eyes were a surging, glowing green!

"Um, s-sorry, Chuva-san," she stuttered.

"Meta said he heard something. God, I should have listened to him. And not only did we have a little eavesdropper listening in on our private conversation, she saw Meta without his…" Chuva shook her head.

Fumu didn't see much point in apologizing again, so she asked softly, "Are you going to tell him?"

Chuva leapt down, landing gracefully on her feet. Those weirdly green irises had reverted back to their normal yellow color, similar to – the thought occurred to Fumu suddenly – to the eyes of Sir Meta Knight's mask. "It doesn't matter if I do or not," Chuva complained. "Either way, he'll see it printed in my thoughts." She crossed her arms and turned away from them.

Kirby allowed the ball to roll away and hopped over to his friends, looking cutely confused. Bun and Fumu sheepishly lowered their eyes. Fumu was especially ashamed. She'd known it was wrong to spy, but she'd just been so _curious_…

"Chuva-san?" asked Bun. "Are you mad at us?"

Chuva didn't answer.

"Chuva-san?" Bun said again. "If you're mad at us, are you never going to tell us any more about you and Meta Knight?"

There were a few more seconds of silence after that. Then Chuva sighed.

"Ah, the curiosity of a younger generation," she remarked as she turned to face them. "An insatiable hunger. I suppose I can forgive you. It's not like I was ever any better."

Fumu felt a grin of guilty relief spread across her face. "Then, Chuva-san, would you tell us about what it was like to grow up as a Star Child?"

"Poyo!" added Kirby.

Chuva settled down on the grass near the fountain to begin the next chapter of her tale.

"Ulu Village wasn't much different from your town – Pupu Village, I mean. Ask any child once there what it was like to grow up, and you'd hear basically the same thing from anyone – they went to school, obeyed their parents, and played with their friends. But for Meta and I, it was different. We didn't lead the same lifestyle as everyone else. We were special…"

***

It was a lazy weekday morning, and Ulu Village was enveloped in the peace that usually came when the children were in school. A shop owner was out sweeping the sidewalk, and in front of a house a woman was planting a garden, but other than that all was quiet.

Then, the undeniable clatter of tiny feet was pitter-pattering over the cobblestones.

"Here they come," muttered the sweeper.

Rose, a foreigner who kept mostly to herself but offered some fortune-telling services, threw open her shutters. "Our saviors…" she said quietly as two figures came into sight.

But they didn't look a thing like saviors. They were just two kids, two kinds who happened not to be in school. Two kids who happened to be Star Children.

The smaller of the two – his mother was always telling him that he'd hit his growth spurt eventually – darted into a grass lot. There was a ragged blanket tied around him that flapped as he ran, and a cracked bowl bounced on his head. Clutched in his pudgy blue hand was a wooden sword.

The other child – a girl – split off in the opposite direction. She had the same makeshift uniform as the boy, and her long blonde hair flowed out with the curve of her "cape." She slipped behind a wall, waiting to see if the boy would make the first move.

She wasn't disappointed. He poked his head out, then emerged to stand atop a boulder.

"Before we begin the duel," he announced grandly, "I, the great and powerful Meta Knight, will relate to you how you, too, can become great."

"Give me a break, Meta," scoffed the girl.

Meta frowned. "I'm being serious, Chuva! When I reach the Galactic Soldier Army, I'll progress so quickly that I'll be knighted. And then even you will have to call me _Meta Knight_."

"Like that's ever gonna happen…" said Chuva in a singsong voice.

"Take that back!" cried Meta.

"It's never gonna happen, it's never gonna happen," she chanted.

"Will so!"

"Will not!"

"Will so!"

"Will not!"

"Will so!" Meta drew his toy sword. "I am willing to fight for my honor!"

Chuva drew her weapon in an identical fashion. "Let's go, then!"

The children began to battle with more skill and agility than most adults possessed, never mind other children. They were both talented and speedy; no blow ever reached its mark, and each sword only knocked against the other. Neither of the children was better than the other.

The problem came when Chuva decided to try some kind of fancy spin maneuver at the same time Meta swung his sword. The implement connected with her long blonde hair and was soon hopelessly entangled.

Chuva screeched, clawing at her head. "What was that, Meta?!"

"Hey, you were the one that turned around!"

"You knew I would and you STILL attacked!"

"Hair is stupid anyway!"

"You're just saying that cause YOU don't have any!"

"Yeah, and soon you won't either, when your mama cuts it off," sniggered Meta.

"Shut up!" screamed Chuva, and ran all the way home, yelling, "Ma-MAAAAAAA! Meta got his sword stuck in my HAAAAAAIIIIIIIRRRR!"

***

Chuva gave her exceptionally short blonde hair a flick. "And now you know how it got to be this length."

At this point, Bun was practically rolling on the ground laughing, while Kirby released a few delighted squeals. Fumu giggled, but she was thinking too hard to truly enjoy the joke.

"So, Chuva-san," she began. "You and Meta Knight had no other friends?"

"Well, no," admitted Chuva.

"But didn't you get lonely?"

She shrugged. "We had each other. Can't be lonely when you've got your double around."

"Your _double_?" Fumu repeated. "What's a double?"

"It's the technical term for the original pairs of Star Children," explained Chuva. "I told you how intimately Meta and I are connected yesterday. Look." She pulled back the cuff of the glove on her left hand, revealing a thin bracelet with tiny black and white beads.

"What's that?" asked Bun.

"A bracelet," she responded. "Meta has one just like it. It's symbolic of our connection to each other."

"I don't get the connection thing," Bun remarked. "Can you guys, like, read each other's minds or something?"

"Not quite like that, no. But we can exchange thoughts or memories – or tap into the other one's head without necessarily asking, or even trying. We can also get a rough pinpoint on each other's locations; I'm convinced that's meant for calling for help."

"So you know where Meta Knight is right now?" challenged Bun.

"Yes."

"Then where is he?"

"He's behind you."

Surprised, all but Chuva turned around. Sure enough, there was Meta Knight, silently watching the group.

"_Meta Naito Kyou_," said Fumu automatically. "What brings you here?"

"Fumu," Meta Knight stated. "I'm afraid I need to borrow your storyteller for a while."

Chuva rolled her eyes but stood up. "_Sayonara_," she said as she departed.

Bun, Fumu, and Kirby watched as the two knights disappeared in between two columns, both out of earshot and out of sight.

"What do you think that was about?" asked Bun.

Fumu could only shrug.

"POYO!" declared Kirby.

***

Pressed tightly into the shadows behind the columns, Meta Knight hissed, "Must you educate them about our history?"

"Meta, they're curious," protested Chuva. "You haven't told them a thing. And I swear that this is nothing personal – it's education about Star Children."

"Be that as it may, what you told them yesterday prompted Fumu, who is normally the good child, to spy. And she saw me…"

"For crying out loud, Meta! It's not that big a deal to have your mask off for ten seconds. You're overreacting."

"But they're going to start asking questions, Chuva. Now they absolutely know that I look like…and they're going to start asking questions that even we can't answer."

Chuva huffed. "Then we can act all mysterious. It's seemed to have worked for you all these years."

And with those final words of disdain, she whirled her cape and headed back towards Castle Dedede, unaware of the electronic eye keeping tab with her every movement.


	7. Problem Solution

_**Meta Origins**_  
_Chapter 6: Problem-Solution_

Chuva had no idea that, as she strode back into the castle, a camera lens was trained directly on her. It focused and zoomed, portraying her identity to the duo who sat near a screen in the throne room…

"_Nani_?!" cried Dedede. "That little girl is supposed to be serving ME! Why is she wasting her time those brats and Meta Knight?"

"She's Meta Knight's girlfriend or something, remember?" pointed out Escargon lazily. "I'll bet they never want to be apart from each other."

"But why is she wasting time telling stories to those insolent kids and Kirby?" Dedede demanded. "I was gracious enough to give her a job and make her a lady knight. She should be focusing on ME!"

"Well, Your Majesty," said Escargon nervously, "I'm sure you'll do something about it."

"Of course I will!" Dedede stomped over to his throne, lowered himself into the seat, and malevolently jabbed a button on the armrest.

A large rectangle of wall, emblazoned with Dedede's own symbol, suddenly separated itself and lowered down in front of him…

The screen flickered on.

"Why, Your Majesty," grinned Customer Service. "We haven't seen you in a while. I trust things have been going well? Have you finally tired of your failed attacks on Kirby?"

"Customer Service!" roared King Dedede. "I've accidentally let a girl into my castle. She's Meta Knight's girlfriend or sister or something. But she's probably a spy or an infiltrator or an assassin! Send a demon beast to take care of her immediately!"

"Did you say 'Meta Knight's girlfriend?'" asked the man on the screen, straightening his sunglasses.

"Yes, I did! Take a look. That's her on that screen over there." Dedede extravagantly gestured to the security screen, which had switched to an interior view. Inside the frame, a somber Chuva marched the desolate halls.

"Oh, she looks very dangerous," said Customer Service. "So, you want a demon beast to take care of her? I'd be happy to deliver. Of course, as for the matter of the price…"

"Your Majesty," muttered Escargon, tugging on the king's sleeve, "Isn't this a bit over the top? You could just fire her."

"What would be the fun in that?" declared Dedede. "Now, shut up, or you'll get the death penalty! I can make my own decisions!"

"And what is your decision about this demon beast?" inquired Customer Service. "The price, you know, is one billion Deden."

"One billion – ?" Dedede slammed his fist on the armrest of the throne. "You expect me to pay you a billion Deden for one lousy demon beast? You always rip me off! You give me the shrimpy ones!"

"Please forgive us!" chided Customer Service. "But this demon beast is my company's pride and joy. In the past, it has destroyed entire villages. And after you get rid of this girlfriend of Sir Meta Knight's, it could be very useful for getting rid of Kirby as well."

"Hmm." Dedede slumped down, lost in consideration. "A billion Deden, you said?"

"A bargain price for such a valuable piece of work," the Customer Service man assured him.

"And I get rid of the lady knight, and Kirby…?"

"And whoever else you desire."

"Well…" King Dedede hesitated, then grinned wickedly. "It seems like an incredible offer! SOLD!"

"We'll send it immediately!" Customer Service flashed the usual seductive smile.

Right on cue, the lights went off and an electronic platform rose up from the center of the room, while its mirror image descended from the ceiling. Power sources were also revealed, crackling with currents of electricity. That energy also began to form around the first platform – the transporter of the delivery system – and for a moment it seemed that something was about to burst through. And then…

The entire thing fizzled out like a vacuum cleaner with a dead battery. The lights were switched back on.

"Oops," said Customer Service. "We seem to be experiencing some technical difficulties over on this side. Terribly sorry."

"What about my demon beast?" demanded King Dedede.

"We will send it as soon as we get these problems fixed. Again, terribly sorry."

"But – ! But – !" Dedede spluttered.

"Your demon beast will be transferred as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience. In the meantime, please send us your payment of one billion Deden." A hand reached up to straighten the sunglasses again.

"You can't do this to me!" roared Dedede.

But the screen was already blank.

"I think that went well," remarked Escargon.

King Dedede clenched his teeth and growled. Too late, his assistant noticed that he was reaching behind the throne for his hammer.

"ESCARGON!" Dedede exploded. "_BAKKA! BAKKA! BAKKA!_"

And what came next was pain.

***

Back inside their little sub-house in the castle, Bun declared, "Chuva is awesome!"

Fumu groaned. "Bun, don't treat her like she's some kind of item."

"But she's awesome!" Bun insisted. "She's funny, she knows all sorts of cool stuff about Sir Meta Knight, AND she's a Star Warrior!"

"I don't think she actually IS a Star Warrior, Bun," said Fumu softly.

He gave his sister a strange look. "Why would you say that? Of course she's a Star Warrior! Don't tell me that you don't believe her stories about Star Children and being Meta Knight's double and stuff."

"It's not that I don't believe her," she responded cautiously. "It's just that something doesn't add up here. For one thing, when Sir Meta Knight talks about the Galaxy Soldier Army, he never mentions her."

"He never mentions a LOT of things, sis," argued Bun impatiently.

"And when we first met her, inside of Kabu. She didn't seem to be sure if she counted as a Star Child or a Star Warrior. She didn't really seem sure of anything, in fact."

"Sis, I don't have time for your worrywart crap." Bun hopped over to the door. "Kirby and I are going back outside. Right, Kirby?"

"Poyo!" Kirby agreed, bouncing off of the couch.

"You wanna come, Fumu?" Bun inquired. "Maybe you should air out your head!"

Fumu scowled. "Just go ahead without me, okay." She crossed her arms, stomped petulantly into her bedroom, and slammed the door.

Flopped out on the bed, the gears of her head were smashing against each other, but it was all in vain. She was missing something, a piece of information that was definitely vital to this puzzle.

But for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what it might be.

***

After their night shift, Meta Knight and Chuva got in very late – or rather, very early. It was about two in the morning before the returned to their room, and only then did Meta Knight realize he had forgotten to request another bed.

"It's okay. I can just bunk with you for another night – that is, if you don't mind," said Chuva.

"I don't," Meta Knight replied.

The silently climbed into their shared bed, and though neither was asleep yet, Chuva was convinced that there would be no other words spoken until the morning. She began to close her eyes…

"I still wish that you wouldn't reveal so much to those children," Meta Knight said suddenly.

"Great, pillow talk." Her eyelids flipped right back open again. "I honestly don't know what your problem is, Meta."

"I think you do."

"I think I _don't_." She rolled over, in order to glare into the artificial eyes of his mask. "In fact, Meta, sometimes I think I don't even know _you_."

Stunned silence.

"It's late, okay. Go to sleep," grumbled Chuva, rolling over again.

"I'm sorry, Chuva," whispered Meta Knight.

She made a little noncommittal noise in the back of her throat, pulled the blanket over her head, and tried to doze off.

But Meta's troubled thoughts kept her wide awake for hours after that.


	8. Where Childhood Ends

_**Meta Origins**_  
_Chapter 7: Where Childhood Ends_

Fumu desperately wanted to meet up with Chuva as early as possible the following morning, but the lady knight proved to be as elusive as Sir Meta Knight. Eventually, Fumu was forced to admit that she couldn't find someone who simply didn't want to be found. She stopped by her room to snatch up her essay journal, then headed outside to the courtyard.

With the aid of a pencil, this is what she scribbled down:

_A few days ago, a strange gold object was seen hovering over Pupuland. After it landed, Bun, Kirby, and I went to investigate. The object turned out to be a Starship, almost exactly like Kirby's, in which there was a woman calling herself Chuva. Since then, Chuva has told us the following things about her past:  
- She is Sir Meta Knight's "double"  
- She and Sir Meta Knight were born together as "Star Children"  
- The Star Children were meant to become Star Warriors and form the Galactic Soldier Army  
- She convinced Sir Meta Knight to briefly remove his mask; underneath it, he looks like blue Kirby with yellow eyes  
Even knowing all this, I'm not sure about her. I think she's hiding something from us, or there's a part of her story we're missing. No one will believe me, but I think that she never was a Star Warrior._

"What are you writing?"

With a gasp, Fumu jerked her head up. She had been so absorbed in her note-taking that she had failed to notice Chuva's arrival to the courtyard. The woman stood about a foot before her, cape swirling around her ankles, but polite enough not to lean over and read the letters on the page.

"Um…just some notes about what you've told us so far," Fumu answered honestly.

"If that's the case," said Chuva, "would you like me to give you something to add to that?"

Fumu narrowed her eyes. "You know, Bun's not here," she challenged. "Neither is Kirby."

Chuva's face revealed just a hint of a knowing smile. "Bun wouldn't be interested in what I have to say to you. He's too much of an action guy for this kind of sappy, sentimental stuff. And somehow, I doubt Kirby listens to anything I say." She winked one bright yellow eye, reminding Fumu of the previous day.

"Chuva-san," she started, "yesterday I saw your irises turn green. I've also seen the eyes of Meta Knight's mask change color before. What does that mean?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Chuva answered, her voice wrought with genuine apology. "Meta's natural eyes do it too. It's something that has happened since we were born, and it seems to somehow coordinate with our moods, but no one could ever say exactly why it occurred, much less us. Unlike our other abilities, it doesn't make a lot of sense."

"Other abilities?" repeated Fumu, intrigued.

"Yes. Besides the mental connection I told you about yesterday, we have extra-perceptive, super-sensitive hearing and eyesight. We've also got better reflexes then most people, and are natural warriors."

Fumu was amazed by the plain way that Chuva stated these facts. She might as well have been a salesperson describing the features of a product, rather than a Star Child listing her remarkable abilities.

"And can you appear and disappear at will?" she inquired.

Chuva gave her an odd look but answered, "No, we can just move really, really quietly. Not as exciting, I know, but that's the truth."

"So, what did you want to tell me about yourself, Chuva-san?"

Chuva took a seat on the grass, as she always did before beginning a story.

"It's not so much something I wanted to tell you," she said, "as something you wanted to ask me yesterday, but didn't."

Ignoring the scary accuracy of her comment, Fumu asked, "Well…you said that you and Meta Knight didn't attend regular school. So how did you get an education?"

Chuva's eyes misted over, and she gazed at something behind Fumu with the effort of calling up the memories.

"We had a private tutor," she explained. "A regular senile _jisan_. Through him we learned reading and writing, a little math – neither of us was very good at it – and all the legends concerning Star Children and Star Warriors. The one thing he would refuse to talk about, though, was demon beasts.

"Meta and I were living in anticipation of the night when demon beasts would arrive on our star. That would mark our enlistment into the Galaxy Soldier Army. It would mean it was time to hop in the Starships that had magically appeared in our village shortly after we were born, initiate takeoff, and hibernate for a hundred years until we were adults. Naturally, we were curious about demon beasts.

"We decided to ask our parents if they knew anything. Mine had nothing to offer me – they were only craftspeople, and pacifists at that – but when Meta asked his parents, his father gave him this book…"

***

"Why, hello, Chuva," Gamma greeted the young Star Child with a wink. "It's rather late for a visit, don't you think?"

"Well, _duh_," said a slightly older – but still a kid – Chuva, her hair now cropped in the short style it would remain in. "That's why I'm wearing my pajamas, Ms. Gamma!"

"Okay, Chuva, I could do without the drama queen attitude," scolded Saki gently, standing behind her daughter.

Both mothers were well aware that tonight was the night of a sleepover between Meta and Chuva. The two Star Children had grown so close that even being home alone for a few hours made them antsy. They begged for a sleepover every single day – and tonight their wishes would come true.

Gamma bid farewell to Saki, then escorted Chuva inside. "I set up a makeshift bed for you in Meta's room, dear," Gamma commented, knowing full well that it would not be used. Come the morning, Meta and Chuva would undoubtedly be curled up together.

"Chuva!" yelled Meta as he burst into the living room. "Come here, quick! I have something important to show you!"

"What?" asked Chuva, puzzled.

"Only the awesomest thing in the whole entire universe!" Meta grabbed her hand. "Come on come on come on! You've gotta see this!"

There was indeed a collaboration of folded sheets and extra pillows on the floor of Meta's bedroom. On his own bed was a dusty leather-bound book with a black-brown cover.

"It's just a book," said Chuva, unimpressed, when she saw it.

"Yeah, a book about DEMON BEASTS!" Meta declared.

"No way!" Chuva hooted. She took a running dive on to her double's bed. "Where did you get it?"

"My dad gave it to me," Meta explained, coming over to her. With one pudgy blue hand, he flipped open the front cover. "See, it's all of the most powerful and undefeated demon beasts, and all information known about them. Look at this one."

Meta must have been reading the book beforehand, because he had dog-eared the pages where his apparent favorites were located. The first demon beast he showed her was a maroon wolflike beast, with long claws as sharp as swords, a big green gem in the middle of its forehead, and spines jutting out of its back.

"That one is called Chilidog," he announced in a spooky voice.

"Chilidog? That's a stupid name for a demon beast," scoffed Chuva.

"Chilidog was born in the fires of H-E-L – um, it's that word we're not allowed to say yet," Meta continued. "It gets its energy from fire. Aaaaaand it has special fangs. If you get one stuck in your head, you'll be paralyzed!"

"Bad dog!" scolded Chuva, and Meta giggled.

"This one," he went on, flipping to a different page, "is called Kirasaken."

Chuva squinted at the picture of Kirasaken – a cross between a bear and a gorilla with vicious blades as its forelegs – then at the drawing on the opposite page. "How come there's a picture of a sword next to it?"

"That's not just a sword! It's the Sacred Sword Galaxia! It was stolen by the Holy Nightmare Corporation, and only those who have the power may use it!" He gave her a hopeful look. "Chuva…when we're Star Warriors, let's go on a quest to reclaim it!"

Chuva was doubtful. "I dunno, Meta. How do we know if we have 'the power?'"

Meta stuck his tongue out at her. "We HAVE to have the power, silly! We're Star Children! We're special."

"Okay, you're right about THAT, Meta," she grinned.

The door to the bedroom opened a sliver, and Gamma's voice drifted in. "Okay, Star Warriors. It's time for bed, so lights out!"

Meta slammed the book shut. "We can look at it more tomorrow. I just really wanted to show it to you."

"This is so awesome," declared Chuva. "Now we can learn about the demon beasts we're gonna beat!"

"Yeah!" cheered Meta

"Lights OUT!" insisted a voice from the hall.

Meta's bed wasn't a particularly large one, but he and Chuva were both exceptionally small. They fit easily into the confined space. Meta blew out the flame of the oil lamp, and the two doubles snuggled up against each other, drifting off into slumber.

***

Fumu smiled. "You and Meta Knight seemed to have had a pretty good childhood."

"Yes," Chuva agreed. "It was fun…while it lasted."

"While it lasted?" Fumu repeated, her grin vanishing.

Chuva turned up her eyes towards the clear azure sky.

"We still had a short while to go before it was time for our enlistment. But that's not when our childhood ended. We started getting serious – we began to stop thinking of ourselves as superheroes – before it was time."

"Why?" murmured Fumu. "What happened?"

A heavy silence seemed to settle down on them. Then, Chuva whispered, "Meta's father died."

***

The unfortunate thing was that deaths were not uncommon in the village at the time of the mayor's demise. There was a coughing sickness reaching epidemic proportions then, but it still came as a shock. The mayor had seemed healthy. But suddenly…

The two families raising Star Children had grown so close together that Meta and Chuva often felt that they were being raised by four parents rather than two. There were twice as many moms to look after them, and twice as many dads to fool around. So it would only stand to reason that Chuva would end up equally devastated by the death of her double's father.

One morning, she had woken up late from a night of restless dreams. Immediately, she was greeted by pangs of anguish and grief that she knew were not her own. Leaping out of bed without bothering to grab her cape and helmet, she only had one goal in mind.

"Chuva, where are you going?" demanded Saki as Chuva bolted out of the house.

"I have to find Meta!" her daugher gasped. "Something's wrong!"

She knew, of course, where he would be. There was a small wood at the edge of the village, and down at the bottom of a bare hill there was a little creek where they often went to play. He was there a lot, and he was there now.

Chuva made a mad dash through the trees. Even from up on top of the hill, she could hear him sobbing.

"Meta?! Meta! What's wrong?!" Chuva cried as she half-ran, half-skidded down to him.

Meta gasped and spun around. Like her, he hadn't bothered with his costume that morning. But she couldn't look away from his teary yellow eyes.

"Chuva!" he exclaimed, as if the thought that she might come hadn't crossed his mind.

"What happened, Meta?" asked Chuva breathlessly. "Why are you crying?"

"I…I…" He turned away slightly, but she could still see as his eyes filled with tears all over again. He scooped a rock and hurled it at the water as if it were responsible for some personal insult. "M-m-my dad died, Chuva. Okay?" he whimpered, voice trembling audibly. Then he collapsed on the bank and began to sob once more.

Chuva gasped. She could feel her own eyes beginning to moisten. Not Meta's father. Not the one who read to them from the demon beast book, who let himself be the demon beast during their adventure games, who made up wild stories about what they'd do when they were Star Warriors. She loved her own father, of course, but Meta's father was good for different things. She didn't want to believe he was gone for good, but…

And then Chuva did what even Meta's mother had not been able to do: she comforted him.

She slipped her arms around his small body, and he clutched on to her for dear life. In this embrace they cried together, cried together as the hours passed and Chuva's parents found out what had happened. Nothing helped Meta more than knowing someone felt the exact same pain he did. When Chuva whispered, "It'll be okay, Meta," he almost believed her.

He didn't want to leave her side, and wound up staying at Chuva's house that night. Her parents didn't even bother setting up a makeshift bed. Never has their been a sadder sleepover in the history of sleepovers. The two Star Children crawled under the covers, pressing into the warmth of one another, and cried themselves to sleep.

***

"That's…so sad," whispered Fumu, reaching up and hand to wipe her eyes.

Chuva nodded, but she was looking up at the sky, dry-eyed. "We got used to it eventually," she stated plainly. "We had to. We couldn't go on thinking about how things could have been."

Fumu wondered if that was how Meta Knight had gotten along without Chuva for such a long time.

"Can I ask you one more thing, Chuva-san?"

"What?"

Fumu took a deep, steadying breath. "What happened on the night that demon beasts attacked your village?"

Chuva's face blanched. Fumu could literally see the blush draining out of her cheeks. The lady knight stood up quickly. "It's getting late," she said quickly.

"Late? It's afternoon," argued Fumu, but Chuva had already walked off as fast as she could towards the castle, without actually running.

The younger girl stood and watched her go, knowing now that all of her suspicions had been confirmed: something had happened that night. Something that Chuva didn't want to talk about.

It was time for Plan B.


	9. What Happened That Night

_**Meta Origins**_  
_Chapter 8: What Happened That Night_

Even knowing that she should let her parents know where she was going, Fumu was in such a rush to get to Kabu that she left immediately. She was not entirely sure that Kabu would know anything about doubles or Star Children, but what she was guessing – what she was hoping – was that Chuva's starship would still be there. If there were any clues to be found, Fumu would find them.

She didn't remember much about her journey there, but soon enough, she arrived at the canyon.

"Great Kabu," she said breathlessly. "I have come again."

"I am afraid that I do not know the answers to the questions you shall ask," came Kabu's voice, slow and loud. "However, the information you seek lies inside."

Fumu nodded, slowly skirting around the ceremonial pyre to the secret space entrance. Peering down into the darkness, she saw to her great disappointment that the starship was gone. Now how would she ever know?

But when she looked down farther, she saw something that would be just as helpful, if not more, near Kirby's Warp Star.

She entered.

"_Meta Naito Kyou_," she said carefully. "I wonder if you could tell me something."

Meta Knight had his back turned to her, his cape tucked firmly around him. He did not respond.

"_Meta Naito Kyou_," she repeated.

She heard the clink of metal as he angled one shoulder towards her. "Since you're wondering where the Starship is, I had it removed. But I expect you have come here for a different reason. You have come here because Chuva refused to answer one of your questions," he stated. It was not a question. It was a fact.

"I've learned so much from her," Fumu answered. "She's not such a mystery any more. Neither are you."

He was silent.

"But there's something I need to know," she continued slowly. "She said that you would both become Star Warriors on the night that demon beasts came to your star. What happened that night?"

Meta Knight stepped past her, his eyes glowing more orange than yellow in the darkness of the chamber. He was close to the exit, back to her once more, but he did not leave.

"At least you've decided to ask me properly," he said finally, "instead of spying."

Fumu swallowed. "I said I was sorry."

After a few long seconds, Meta Knight spoke again.

"Everything about that night was supposed to be carefully planned and rehearsed. Alarms would sound, our parents would wake us up, and we would be brought to the waiting starships. But it was all for naught. Demon beasts are unpredictable creatures. And nothing about that night was fine-tuned…

"In the days leading up to the attack, Chuva and I never wanted to be separated. We were intuitive children, but we did not know the underlying cause of this burst of closeness. On the last normal day we had, I begged and pleaded to spend the night at her house. Our parents told us not to be so paranoid. It turned out to be a grave error on their part.

"I had nightmares all through that night. When my mother woke me, I was not sure that they had stopped. My village was ruined and burning, and demon beasts were howling outside. I would see many similar landscapes as a Star Warrior, but this was my first, and it terrified me.

"They gave us uniforms. Capes and shoulder pads. Swords. And for me, there was a mask. I was not entirely sure of its purpose at the time, though years later, I would become grateful for it. Then a demon beast attacked my home. I was forced to make a break for it…alone. I knew my way around the village. I made it to the launch site, and so did Chuva. Everything would be alright again…or so we thought."

"What was the problem, then?" asked Fumu.

"The Warp Stars," Meta Knight answered somberly. "We had checked them. Checked them again. We would be asleep for one hundred years, and in that time we would grow up. We had to have some kind of guidance system. The Warp Stars would bring the Star Children together, so that they could form the Galaxy Soldier Army. There were two Warp Stars. There always had been two Warp Stars. But on the night that we left, there was only one."

It took a moment for this to sink in, but Fumu gasped when she understood. "And it was yours, wasn't it? Only you had a Warp Star."

Meta Knight made an abrupt turn back toward her. His eyes were a blazing green.

"I never found out how hers went missing. But it doesn't matter. She had no guidance system. She never met up with the rest of us. I had lost her."

"But I thought you could get a rough pinpoint on each other's location!" Fumu blurted out.

"Usually," Meta Knight agreed. "But not when the other is too far away…or unconscious. In fact, if one double is unconscious, everything shuts off for the remaining. You cannot draw from their abilities. You cannot tap into their thoughts. You cannot feel them at all. You are utterly alone, doomed to feel as if you have lost half of yourself."

Fumu tried to imagine feeling that way, and couldn't. "And you lived with that for all those years in the Galaxy Soldier Army?"

"I grew used to being…empty. I was praised for my fighting skills. I became the hero I had invented as a child. But I was never satisfied. My superiors introduced me to other Star Warriors – an example you would know of is Knuckle Joe's father – but they all fell, one after the other. And then I really was alone. The rest you know, I expect."

"Right." Fumu nodded. "You came to Popstar and became King Dedede's servant, waiting for the next generation of Star Warriors to be born. You said that you never gave up hope…but was it only hope for Kirby's arrival, or for Chuva's as well?"

Meta Knight walked slowly back towards her. She could now see him entirely, though he would not meet her gaze.

"Three days ago was the three hundredth anniversary of Chuva's disappearance. I had given up hope that she would ever be found. I knew that the most likely explanation was that her Starship had been found by Nightmare, and destroyed. But three days ago, I could have sworn that I felt her again. I thought I must have been going crazy, that after all these years I had finally cracked. But then…"

"Three days ago was the day we found her Starship!" exclaimed Fumu excitedly. "And then we brought her to you! You must have been happy to see her."

"I was. Never in my wildest dreams had I guessed that the unidentified object was her. But there was a bitter side to our reunion as well."

"And what was that?"

"It is none of your concern. But among other things, I didn't know where she came from, or why she should suddenly reappear on this star. However, since then, I believe I know the answer to the latter."

"Then tell me, how did she get here?"

"There are three contributing factors, I expect. The first, as doubles our destinies are intertwined. As some would say, it is unavoidable that we would meet again.

"The second, a Star Warrior's ship will always head towards a star where there are demon beasts. This star is riddled with them. As soon as her starship grew close enough to detect it, it would have immediately warped here.

"And the third" – he pointed extravagantly at a point behind Fumu – " is that."

Fumu reached back and held the tiny gold object in her palm. "Kirby's Warp Star?"

"Yes. I believe that her starship was drawn to it."

"But why?"

He fixated one icy yellow eye on her. "Why do Kirby and I look so much alike?"

She didn't say anything.

"Something catastrophic will happen soon. I have no doubt about it. I fear for her."

"Why do you say that? Why do you fear for her?"

"The amount of time she has spent with you, Bun, and Kirby may provoke suspicion from the most dangerous of sources."

"I don't understand."

"You don't need to." He resumed his first position, in front of the Warp Star's platform. "But I have already kept you here too long. Be sure to watch your back, and Kirby's as well."

Fumu placed the Warp Star back in its spot and headed towards the exit. But just before she reached it, she turned back around for one final question.

"So, that's it, then? Chuva was never a Star Warrior?"

She could see Meta Knight straighten up almost imperceptibly. "Chuva will always be a Star Warrior," he replied. "It is in her blood. However, Chuva was never a Galaxy Soldier. And that is perhaps the only difference between us.

Fumu exhaled a conserved breath. Her predictions had not been so far from the truth.

"_Sayonara, Meta Naito Kyou_," she said, and left.

A few short minutes later, a swirling shape detached itself from the shadows and made its way over to Meta Knight.

"She didn't see you," said Meta Knight.

"How could you possibly call me a Star Warrior, Meta?" demanded Chuva. "I never got that far. I let you down." She squeezed the edge of the platform, her eyes downcast.

As tenderly as he could, Meta Knight placed his hand on top of hers.

"That's not true, and you know it. You will always be a Star Warrior, Chuva."

But there was nothing she could do but grip her double's hand tightly and try to restrain the threat of tears.


	10. Castle Siege

_**Meta Origins**_  
Chapter 9: Castle Siege

Late that night, at perhaps eleven PM, a button pushed itself.

The button was the one on the arm of King Dedede's throne, the one that activated the demon beast delivery system. The platforms and energy sources emerged from the already darkened room, and it seemed to be a repeat of the previous day. Only this time, the procedure followed through.

With a blindingly bright burst of light, something was transported into the throne room. Something that, though crouched on all fours, was easily big enough to crash through the ceiling of Castle Dedede should it stand up. Something with beady black eyes and a vaguely conical, open-ended nose. Something with long claws that scorched the very floor it stood upon. It opened its mouth and growled in a way that sounded like crackling fire.

King Dedede had been awakened by the sound of the delivery system going off, since the throne room and his bedroom were side by side. After dragging Escargon from his bed, the king rushed into the throne room, still in his nightcap and pajamas. Upon finding two pairs of eyes staring at him – one on a screen – he cried out, "_N-NANI_?!?!"

"Why, hello, Your Majesty," grinned Customer Service. "Did you sleep well?"

"Customer Service!" Dedede roared. "What's all this?!"

"It's the demon beast you ordered." The Customer Service man smiled seductively as he straightened his sunglasses. "Do you like it?"

***

After everything she had learned from Sir Meta Knight, Fumu was unable to sleep. Finally, she decided that a quick walk in the corridors might help to cure her restlessness. She unobtrusively left her room and began to pace feverently.

Not too long after, Bun poked his head out of the double doors. "Sis?" he said blearily.

"What are you doing up?" she asked.

"I had a bad dream," he groaned. "And then I saw you weren't in bed."

"I'm just going for a walk," she replied quietly.

Kirby, who was spending the night there, appeared by Bun's feet with a sleepy, "Poyo?"

"Great, you woke Kirby up, too," Fumu complained.

"It's not my – " her brother started, but was interrupted by an immense CRASH!

The three children, suddenly wide awake, huddled together nervously. "What was that, sis?" Bun whispered.

"I don't know…" answered Fumu honestly.

At just that moment, the demon beast barreled down the corridor viciously.

Fumu and Bun both cried out and rushed in to hide Kirby from the monstrous creature, but it didn't even spare them a second glance. It continued its erratic run down the halls, much to their confusion.

"Strange," mused Fumu. "Most demon beasts go straight for Kirby. Why didn't this one stop?"

"Maybe it's just stupid," suggested Bun.

"Or maybe…" Fumu paused as Sir Meta Knight's words repeated in her head: _Something catastrophic will happen soon. I have no doubt about it. I fear for her..._

"Or maybe it's not after Kirby!" she finished, feeling icy dread seep into her chest.

"Not after Kirby?" Bun repeated. "Then who would it be after?"

"It's after Chuva!" gasped Fumu. "Sir Meta Knight said so!"

Bun frowned. "What exactly DID you do today, sis?"

But she wasn't listening as she grabbed his hand and began to pull him along. "We have to go find them! There's not much time! You, too, Kirby!"

"Poyo!" squealed Kirby in agreement as he chased after them.

***

Chuva was on guard in the other side of the castle when she heard footsteps coming from some distance away. But these were not normal footsteps – each of these sounded like someone had dropped a stack of books on the stone floor.

She backed into the wall, apprehensive. Whatever was making those footsteps was running. At the rate it was going, it would catch up to her soon. Despite herself, she wondered what it could possibly be.

It was a demon beast.

Chuva cried out when she saw it – she hadn't had much experience with demon beasts before – then immediately drew her sword. Ten seconds later, she realized that this thing was huge, too huge to fight against in such a confined area. She only had one option left. She fled – still clutching the sword in her hand. And as she ran, she sent out a pang of distress to the only person who could possibly help her…

***

Meta Knight hadn't been happy about running a patrol away from Chuva, but she had said that she needed some time alone, to think. Since there was nothing he could possibly say to comfort her, he had been forced to agree. Hence, he was nowhere close to the throne room when the transporter went off.

Then, he suddenly felt what sounded like a high-frequency sound, but in his mind. It was accompanied by a pang of fear and distress, and he knew that something had gone wrong, that it had been wrong to part with Chuva tonight.

He paused briefly, got a rough edge on her location, and headed that way quickly – this was an emergency.

***

As Meta rushed towards her at a frantic pace, Chuva was luring the demon beast out into the courtyard. It wasn't difficult. Obviously, this thing had eyes only for her. What DID make her task challenging, though, was that the demon beast would suddenly spit out columns of flame from its hollow nose. But she was a professional at risky dodging. She jumped, ducked, and skidded to the side with a fluid ease. Oh, where the heck was her double?! This was NOT going to be easy to do without help…

But out in the open air, he somehow fell into step beside her.

"There's a demon beast chasing you?!" he shouted.

"Well, OBVIOUSLY," she yelled back.

"Didn't I tell you to be careful?! That you were under surveillance?!"

"I didn't do anything wrong!"

"In this castle, being near Kirby is a grave off – " Meta Knight gave a cry of exclamation as he rolled at the last possible second to avoid a fireball.

Chuva's heart sank. She had called her double here, and was now only endangering him. "Meta…it's obviously after only me. You should go back to the castle."

"I'm not leaving your side!"

She cursed. "_Bakka._ Okay, we can fight it together. But we have to draw it out to somewhere more open than this courtyard to defeat it!"

Meta Knight dashed ahead of her. "Follow my lead. I know somewhere we can use as a makeshift battlefield."

One foot, singing hot, almost slammed down on them.

"Hurry!" cried Chuva desperately, struggling to keep her balance after the close skid.

The race was on.

***

Fumu, Bun, and Kirby couldn't see Chuva. However, it wasn't exactly hard to follow a giant demon beast out of the castle. In addition, Sword and Blade also seemed to have joined the chase and were in hot pursuit right ahead of them.

"Why are you guys going after it?!" Fumu gasped out when her group got close enough.

"We have taken an oath to protect our lord and lady from such fearsome enemies!" declared Sword.

"And we can't let a demon beast go on the rampage in our castle!" added Blade.

"Man, you guys are really loyal…" panted Bun.

"I think they're leading it away from the castle, anyway!" Sword shouted.

"That's good, but where they think they're going?!" Fumu answered.

"We're going to find out," said Blade gravely, and then all of their energy was conserved for running.

***

Meta Knight managed to draw the demon beast to a valley not far from the castle. Even out here, it seemed utterly impenetrable. It no longer had to stoop to fit itself into cramped spaces, and was as huge and menacing as an erupting volcano.

"Do we try to attack?!" Chuva cried.

In a swift, rapid motion, Meta Knight yanked his sword from its scabbard. "We'll have to! Take the left leg, I'll take the right!"

Chuva obeyed, and the doubles lunged at their targets. However, the demon beast anticipated them, and swung out a viciously clawed hand to bat them away. Both were flung several feet through the air, coming to a landing in the grass in a painful skidding way.

Meanwhile, Sword and Blade made it to a hill overlooking the valley, as did Fumu, Bun, and Kirby. "I'm afraid we'll have to stay here!" Blade yelled.

"If they're trying to fight it, we can't interfere yet," agreed Sword.

"There's no way they can defeat that thing alone…" said Fumu worriedly.

The exact same thought was throbbing in the heads of Chuva and Meta Knight as they gazed up at their opponent. And then something else came, a revelation that wiped all thoughts of failure from their minds.

At this angle, Meta Knight knew that this was not the first time he had seen this creature. Sprawled out here, he flashed back to a time when he trembled from this very demon beast's gaze, shaking inside his oversized clothing as his mother was dying beneath the wreckage of their cottage.

The memory ended, but one consistent thing remained.

"I know that demon beast," he murmured.

Chuva, who had just experienced the same astonishing revelation, gasped, "It attacked our village."

"It killed my mother," said Meta Knight.

Chuva inhaled sharply and turned her head towards him, as if for a look of confirmation. But she never received one. At that moment, a fireball blazed straight at them, and they were both forced to roll off in opposite directions to avoid being fried.

As the pair scrambled to their feet, the demon beast lowered itself back on all fours and turned its colossal head to gaze at Chuva. Without missing a beat, she plunged her sword straight into its forehead. The monster's shriek resonated all over the valley, but unfortunately for her, the skin was too tough to be completely pierced by her blade. She yanked on the handle, pulling as hard as she could as she tried to get it out, but as she did so, the head began to rise again.

"Chuva!" cried Meta Knight. "Chuva, get on top of it!"

Chuva was not stupid, and she was definitely not stupid enough to dangle from a loose sword stuck in a demon beast's head hundreds of feet above the ground. So she did exactly what Meta Knight had suggested – she hauled herself right on top of the demon beast's head.

The demon beast screeched and bucked as it tried to remove its unwanted passenger, and Chuva was left clutching her vague handholds (and her now-freed sword) for dear life. Meta Knight felt positively stranded there on the ground, unable to help his double in any way as she desperately tried to keep from falling toward certain death.

On the hillside, Fumu gasped, "Is she on top of the demon beast?!"

"Looks that way," responded Sword strenuously.

"But how can we help her now?" Bun demanded.

***

The demon beast was more intelligent than any of them had reckoned, and now decided to take a new approach. It pumped heat to its head, so much that Chuva could feel it even through her thick gloves. She was forced to stand up now, which made balancing even more of a challenge. Even using all of her experience to shift her feet and tilt her body in the correct ways, she knew that she wouldn't be able to stay on for much longer.

"This is bad!" Bun shouted.

"What can we…" Fumu began miserably, then cut herself off. "Wait! Kirby, YOU can go get her!" And without stopping to survey the others' reactions, she clasped her hands together and pleaded, "Come, Warp Star!"

And she imagined that, from somewhere across valleys and canyons, she heard an answering, "Warp Star!"

A few moments later, the gold vehicle was whizzing through the air. In a practiced maneuver, Kirby jumped up and landed upon it. He guided the Warp Star around the demon beast's head and…

Caught Chuva just as she was bucked off!

Chuva's feet planted firmly down upon the Warp Star's surface. She looked at Kirby incredulously for a second, then began to laugh in stupefaction and relief and the wind blew her cape and short blonde hair out behind her. "Drop me off with Meta," she told Kirby. "I think we can be of some help to you."

Kirby did just that, angling the Warp Star down to where Meta Knight stood waiting. Chuva extended her hand, and he swung her off of the Warp Star and down to the ground. Suddenly relieved of most of its weight, the Warp Star shot upwards, which was exactly what Kirby wanted. He was now hovering directly in front of the demon beast's face. It hissed, releasing a stream of flame at his face, but he took a step back and inhaled the attack.

There was a burst of light too bright to look upon. When it subsided, Kirby was once again on the Warp Star, but this time, there was a flame shooting up from his head.

"All right!" exclaimed Fumu.

"It's Fire Kirby!" cheered Bun.

On the ground below Kirby, Chuva gaped at this astonishing transformation. "THAT'S his ability?" she asked Meta Knight, who nodded. She frowned. "Sure puts all of ours to shame."

"We don't have any time for that," Meta Knight said, reaching for his sword once more.

She nodded, her bright yellow eyes narrowing. Somehow, she had managed to keep hold of her own sword as she fell. Holding it up at shoulder height, she commanded, "Meta…let's go!"

***

In an immense collaboration of teamwork, Kirby somehow understood that it was his job to bring the demon beast down so that Meta Knight and Chuva could finish it off. So he kept up with a relentless stream of fire attacks, never allowing his opponent to get an opportunity in. Eventually, the demon beast was reduced to a cowering wreck from its own power, scorched all over – and that was where the waiting doubles stepped in.

They attacked from opposite sides, but fought as if watching each other's every move. They targeted the beast's vulnerable spots, slashing and piercing with perfect synchronization, much to the amazement of the company on the hillside.

"Chuva is acting like she's fought demon beasts as much as Meta Knight has," gaped Fumu.

Sword and Blade exchanged a knowing glance but didn't say anything.

They continued to watch as Chuva brutally stabbed out the demon beast's eyes, marking the perfect opportunity for Meta Knight to end the battle. He leapt on top of its scalded hide and plunged his sword straight into the beast's heart.

It lay still.

"That was for my mother," said Meta Knight, resheathing his strangely clean blade.

Kirby came to a landing on his Warp Star, his flame reduced to nothing. "Poyo!" he declared.

There was a hint of a subdued smile on Chuva's face, and Meta Knight stepped down to her.

"That was an amazing show of fighting," he told her.

"It's only because of you," she replied.

"Nonsense. Chuva, you're finally putting all that training you had to use." He glanced at the smoldering carcass of the demon beast, and sighed. "Although I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't want to stay."

"What do you mean?"

"This place doesn't hold an easy life for you. There's a tyrannical king and a constant threat of demon beasts, and I'm afraid you'll find it hard to maintain the side you really want to be on."

She breezed a little closer to him.

"Be that as it may, there's something that will keep me here no matter what."

"And what," asked Meta Knight, "is that?"

She rolled her eyes. "My double. _Bakka._"

"I'm…I'm glad to hear that," Meta Knight admitted. "Believe it or not, I'm not so strong without you."

"I believe it. I can see inside your head."

Two things happened then, behind his mask. The first was that his eyes dampened, just a little. And the second was that he smiled.

"I missed you, Chuva."

"You'd better have, because now you're stuck with me. Forever."

_**THE END**_


End file.
